Meep (Hero-U)
Background Once upon a time in the quiet countryside of Kriegsland, there sprang a peaceful people known as Meeps. Meeps are cute little bundles of fur perched on hands that serve as feet, and vice versa. The Meeps live in underground villages concealed under rocks in the remote pastoral meadows. They occasionally pop out of their holes to search for food – wild berries, windfall apples, and root vegetables. Theirs is the perfect communal society where everything is share and share alike. Meeps are rather like the hairy-footed, short humanoids of the Shire fame. They like to lead simple, uncomplicated lives, snug in their warm little dens. They like to eat apples. They like to cuddle together while the Chief Meep tells them how lucky they all are to be Meeps. A Meep is a small, bipedal creature who lives underground in large communities with others. It looks like a round, furry face attached to legs. Meeps are gentle creatures who never travel very far from the Meep holes. They can hop for great distances relative to its size, and they can dig very rapidly when necessary to escape from danger. Meeps have their own Meepish tongue, but some have learned to speak with humans. Young meeps are extremely curious, active creatures who need constant supervision or they will get into everything they possibly can. One should be careful not to accidentally step on one while exploring. (Fortunately, Meeps are extremely resilient.) They enjoy company so much, they may try to go with you when you leave. You might want to check your pockets to make sure you haven't picked up any Meep Hitchhikers. What makes a Meep important? Well, you won't find a nicer creature when you are wandering alone through a dangerous forest. They may seem silly, but sometimes people need something to cheer their hearts and help them smile again. That is what Meeps do best -- smile. Some Meeps are known as Kwirks and others as Prates. There is speculation that Meeps were originally magically created by a mage who liked bright colors. Culture What Meeps do not like are Troublemakers. Troublemakers are… different. Troublemakers are Meeps who mistakenly believe that there is anything better than living off the land or hiding in a hole in the ground. Troublemakers are the ones ask dangerous questions like why should Meeps go hungry in the wintertime or why must Meeps hide away from everything else. Troublemakers even have the nerve to argue when the Chief Meep says that a good Meep is a quiet Meep. Thus, any Meep deemed to be a Troublemaker is given a polite kick out of the Meep hole and sent off to make his or her own way far from the serenity of Meepish society. Oddly enough, there are now more Troublemakers living away from the Meep villages of Kriegland then there are Meeps. Equally strange is the fact that most Troublemakers don’t mind being kicked out of the Meep villages. Okay, it’s scary being away from home. Yes, it’s much more dangerous than hiding away in a hole. However, it’s a lot more fun. Once Troublemakers are away from other Meeps, they can be something new and different. They don’t have to live in holes in the ground. They don’t have to spend most of their lives scrounging for food. They don’t have to keep their mouths shut when they disagree with someone else. They can be themselves. With all these Troublemakers, the best thing that ever happened to them was the worst thing imaginable to them – banishment from home, hearth, and family. Now, they find their own homes, friends, and fun. The moral of this message Is not very deep… Just be yourself and more than a Meep. Wild Meeps can be shy and retiring creatures. If you come across a collection of large rocks spaced out across a meadow, you've probably come across a Meep warren. You can wait very patiently for the Meeps to pop up and try to speak to them. However, the Meep preferred method is for you to leave gifts of apples and fruit until they accept and greet you as their benefactor. Physiology and traits A Meep is a bipedal, furry, friendly, highly intelligent, and lovable creature about the size of a large Persian Cat that has just been zapped by static electricity. Meeps live in communal colonies underground in large tunnel complexes. The Meep conceal the multiple entrances to these tunnels with large rocks. They are extremely strong and can hold these rocks in place when someone tries to remove them. Meeps are capable of leaping straight into the air up to five times their size with rocks balanced upon their heads. The legs of the Meep end in prehensile hands with sharp claws on the ends of the three fingers and the thumb. They also have pointed teeth. Few predators are willing to face an enraged Meep. Those predators that try to catch Meeps are frequently stoned. http://www.theschoolforheroes.com/meepFAQ.php They have two eyes, with, two fuzzy eyebrows above their eyes (which can be same color as their fur, or darker colored furAs seen on the stuffed meep mascot, and some artwork), and two bird-like legs with talons. Meeps often have three claws to the front. Some only hae three claws similar to a bipedal saurus, while others have a fourth talon towards the back of their foot like birds of prey. Still there are some foots that look almost hand like on some of the meeps but with only 'three fingers' (two fingers and a thumb). Their fur ranges from blue, light blue, green, purple, orange, yellow, red, pink, black, white, etc. Some have flat teeth similar to herbivores, while others (often Troublemakers) have sharp teeth similar to carnivores. Some have large lips while others do not. Some have large human-like fur-covered noses, while others do not. Juvenile meeps may hatch from eggs, this has been witnessed, but it is not fully confirmed. Meeps mean different things to different inhabitants of Gloriana. "I find Meeps very amusing. You could say they give me 'meep' thrills."-Erasmus (Hero-U) "Meeps are so very cute. Their fur is useful for making certain potions, too."-Amelia Appleberry (Hero-U). "Meeps are a nuisance and an embarrassment to Spielburg."-Barnard von Spielburg (Hero-U) "Meeps are sweet. They go well with a dry white wine and some pickled toadstools."-Baba Yaga (Hero-U) "Meeps are an appalling abomination and should be obliterated from this world."-Ad Avis (Hero-U) See also *Meep *Plush Meep (Blue Meep) Gallery RedMeep.jpg MastermindMeep.png greenmeepsupporter.png sneakymeepy.png Indiemeep.png alimeepier.png Ani eastereggmeep.gif Redbeard.jpg Rainbowmeep.jpg Behind the scenes The Meep is the mascot of Hero-U. Meeps are odd furry creatures that are very strong, but have an innocent attitude towards the world. Lori and Corey originally developed Meeps for their paper role-playing campaign, then gave them a cameo appearance in their first computer game, Hero’s Quest: So You Want to Be a Hero. In How To Be A Hero: By the Book some scenes were removed altogether such as the encounter with the meeps, though meeps are reintroduced as mascots for online websites for precursors to Hero-U, and the subspecies such as the Kwirks were added as well. (Well, Actually, Meeps were designed as a cross between "Whack-a-Mole" and Tribbles. The were created for Quest for Glory: "So You Want to Be a Hero" to counter all the players who have the mentality of "see something move -- Kill it!" These were creatures who couldn't be killed. If you ran up to them, they popped back into their hole. However, if you thought to speak with them, you made a friend.) Corey claims that Meeps were inspired by a Herman's Hermit sketch.https://web.archive.org/web/20031218202823fw_/http://www.transolar.com:80/TSmeeppage.html External Links *Mischief Making Meeps *Meep Month Musings References Category:Meeps Category:Meeps (Hero-U)